As known from DE 44 10 046, a process for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by a selective sintering by means of electromagnetic radiation may be carried out layer-wise with a source for electromagnetic radiation. In such a process, three-dimensional objects are manufactured in a layer-wise manner by applying layers of a powder and bonding them to each other by a selective solidification of the powders at positions in the layers corresponding to cross-sections of the objects.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a prior art laser sintering device by means of which a process for a layer-wise manufacturing of a three-dimensional object may be performed. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the device comprises a container 1. This container is open to the top and is limited at the bottom by a support 4 for supporting an object 3 to be formed. By the upper edge 2 of the container (or by its sidewalls) a work plane 6 is defined. The object is located on the top side of the support 4 and is formed from a plurality of layers of a building material in powder form that can be solidified by means of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the layers are in parallel to the top side of the support 4. The support may be moved in a vertical direction, i.e. in parallel to the sidewall of the container 1, via a height adjustment device. Thereby the position of the support 4 relative to the work plane 6 can be adjusted.
Above the container 1, or rather the work plane 6, an application device 10 is provided for applying the powder material 11 to be solidified onto the support surface 5 or a previously solidified layer. Also, an irradiation device in the form of a laser 7, which emits a directed light beam 8, is arranged above the work plane 6. This light beam 8 is directed as deflected beam 8′ towards the work plane 6 by a deflection device 9 such as a rotating mirror. A control unit 40 allows to control the support 4, the application device 10 and the deflection device 9. The items 1 to 6, 10 and 11 are located within a machine frame 100.
When the three-dimensional object 3 is manufactured, the powder material 11 is applied layer-wise onto the support 4 or a previously solidified layer and is solidified at the positions of each powder layer that correspond to the object by means of the laser beam 8′. After each selective solidification of a layer the support is lowered by the thickness of the powder layer to be subsequently applied.